The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-08-27
THE ENGLISH SPARROW.
How the Little Foreigner Hss wonopoiixed
Things In Washington.

How the Little Foreigner Hss MonopolIzed
Things In Washington.
The introduction Of English sparrows
In Washington was made by General
Babcock, Commissioner of Public Build
ings and Grounds, in 1867. Since that
time they have multiplied with amaz-
ing rapidity, due largely to the FOSTER
ing care OF the District authorities. For
many years after their first introduction
Westinghouse were placed in the trees
in the various public parks. Congress
passed law making it u misdemeanor
to kill one of the newly-nat,,ralized
birds under apenalty of twenty dollars.
In addition, many admiring and in-
ordinately hospitable citizens provided
them with nesting places in their private
grounds, where they ted and cared for
them. Under far less favorable treat
ment their voracity. fecundity and ag-
grcssive habits would have insured the
permanency of the sparrows. No such
scavengers are known among the
feathered tribes. They revel in the
filth Of the streets and alleys, and like
all greedy creatures they are always
ready to fight on the slightest prov
ocation. Since their intoduction here
these birds have taken possession of all
the public buildings and grounds.
They are the most clannish of all house
birds and delight in the possession of
expansive cornices and broad window
caps for nesting purposes. A sparrow
seldom builds his nest in u tree except
box is put there for his accommodation.
Year after year hundreds of them nest
about the cornices, window caps,
Corinthian heads and handy inches of
the Capitol, Patent Office, Post-oifice
Department and other public buildings.
The sparrows are uncleanly in their
habits and never clean away an old
nest before building new one, and rs
a result where they congregate in large
numbers they soon accumulate guam
titles of filth and vermin. AS rule
four broods are Matched in one nest
each season, in all about twenty
five young birds. In the Post-office
Department Building they have stuffed
the carvings in the Corinthian columns
full of straw, rags, paper, twine and
other iibrinous bric-a-brac. 1t would
require thousands Of dollars to repair
the damage thus done to the buildings
infested. These sparrows are the
most aggressive birds that fly, and
they obtrudc themselves into all sorts
Of unthousht-of places for nesting. In
an equestrian statue of General Wash
ington, standing on Pennsylvania ave-
nue., a sparrow last year built its nest
under the crupper, where its brood
would be protected by the flowing tail
of the bronze horse. In Mcpherson
square stands u statue of General Nc
Pherson, and in one of the stirrups
patriotic swallow last year built it's
nest. In the same statue the park
watchman recently found nest under
The Generals arm. In the Smithsonian
Park l recently saw an abandoned
street-lamp in which sparrow had
built its nest. During the recent
National drill public-spirited citizen
desired to fire a salute from an old
cannon on his grounds in honor of one
of the visiting companies, but was
interrupted by the discovery of birds
nest in the rusty old guns muzzle. A
doctor in this city found the skull of one
of his skeletons similarly occupied. A
park watchman informed me that the
birds had invaded the garret of the
Pension building by means of broken
pane. He said they would build nest
in remarkably short time, and in proof
related how, on lowering the awnings
over the windows, after they had been
left up day or two. he had seen the
sparrows' nests fall down from them.
Excepting the catbirtls, martens,
swallows, green wrens and crows, the
native birds have been generally driven
from the parks. The clannish sparrows
can whip any timid birds that come
about the city. The martens have
superior wing power and when pursued
by sparrows they elude them by soar
ing to safe distance above the house,
tops. 1t is claimed that the sparrow
makes good pot-pie, and citizen of
Maryland, not far from this city, has a
large coop where, after catching them
in traps, he confines and feeds them
until fat enough for the pot wash
ington Cor. N. Y. World.